St. Andrews and Netherfield
St. Andrew's (below left) was built on the site of the old St. Paul's
Methodist chapel. The old St. Paul's was creaky, spooky and a little bit scary when I went to Sunday School as a nipper. I remember some details of the Sunday School room which was accessed from the back of the building. It had tulip lamp shades and those top windows which were opened and closed by rope & pulley. Everything had a smell. Mostly of wood. The old ladies were very old through my eyes.
There was a dark grating on a wall nearby which the kids thought housed a bogeyman. We didn't know what a bogeyman was but knew that we were supposed to be scared of it and acted accordingly. Another scary thing was a nearby house with a statue of Christ just inside the open front door which was always partly open on Sundays for all to see. It was only a statue but we did not feel comfortable about it. St Paul's was rotten with woodworm and had to be demolished, to be replaced with St Andrews.
Netherfield Independent Chapel began in 1786 and later became Netherfield Congregational Church. From 1973 it became known as Netherfield United Reformed Church and was extensively extended and rebuilt. The first register began in 1788 with baptisms and from that date the records were continuous until it closed in 1981. After that, the building was converted into a modern dwelling and part of its cemetery was paved to make a car park for residents. The remaining part of its cemetery has become overgrown with weeds.
Most likely around 1981, St. Paul's and the Netherfield Church amalgamated into the new St. Andrews Methodist/United Reform Church. The new church is modern and bright inside and is used for more than just church activities. It has weekly organ concerts and other occasional music concerts.
Netherfield (middle and right below) has a notable rose window but what is left of the graveyard is neglected. Penistone Info website says "1780s: Netherfield Chapel founded from an original gift of £25." PGS used a room there for drama classes in the 1960s.
Spring Vale Methodist Church
The original "Tin Chapel" was built in 1860 and replaced in 1927. This church is more or less opposite Spring Vale school. These shots were taken in March 2006 on the occasion of the Gateway Club's musical evening, for which I mass-produced DVDs. I took the chance to explore a little as I had never been in this place before and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a good traditional styled chapel (sorry - church) with a proper organ. See Spring Vale on my tour page.
Other Chapels
There are other Methodist church/chapels in Thurlstone, Millhouse Green and Ingbirchworth. Bullhouse Chapel has a very long history. Contact phone no. for all the ministries on this page is 01226 763202
